Charlotte, North Carolina: The "Queen City," America's second-largest banking center, and home to everyone from Billy Graham 
to Ric Flair. It's truly a city that's got a little of everything...except the ocean. But the other day when I told a friend that I was working on a blog post about Charlotte — you know, to help customers from other parts of the country get to know a little more about Wachovia's home base — he was adamant that I not perpetuate the perception that Charlotte is a "NASCAR city."
While I agree there's much more to the Charlotte experience than watching speeding cars circle a racetrack, how can I tell you about Charlotte and ignore NASCAR? All I have to do is look out my office window to see the construction site for its new Hall of Fame. Or what about every spring when Tryon Street in uptown (don't dare call it "downtown") Charlotte becomes Speed Street? I mean, when 11 out of Charlotte Magazine's 51 Reasons We Love Charlotte have a NASCAR connection, I think we can safely surmise that it's ingrained in the city's fabric.
But it certainly doesn't define the city.
Really, for me, the construction of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame is less about an obsession with racing and more reflective of growth that has exploded in "new" Charlotte...
Now Charlotte is certainly not new in terms of existence — it's been around since 1755. But it is new in the sense that, in the past decade, the city has undergone significant changes. Even the local professional sports teams — the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Bobcats — have modestly short histories, having debuted in 1995 and 2004, respectively.
And the change doesn't seem to be slowing down. The skyline is currently dotted with construction cranes furiously building new office towers, apartment buildings and museums.
However, a city that's more than 250 years old has to have some history — you just have to know where to look. The mansion-lined streets of Charlotte's posh Myers Park neighborhood reflect the early success of the city's residents, while neighborhoods like Dilworth, Fourth Ward, Central Avenue, South End and North Davidson (aka NoDa) all offer glimpses of Charlotte's past. And just outside the city limits you'll find the Reed Gold Mine — the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. Sorry, California!
But really, for most who live in and visit Charlotte, it's all about the now. It's about great weather — 214 sunny days a year and an average temperature of 72 degrees. It's about finding a $5 BBQ (pork!) sandwich that rivals a $50 filet mignon. It's about going whitewater rafting in the morning and then catching a Broadway show that evening.
And, yes, a couple times a year it's really about NASCAR.
Great blog! I didn't have much knowledge of Charlotte previously, so this was an interesting read.
(Disclosure: I am a Wells Fargo employee)
Since the time I heard of the announcement back on October, the more I've been interested in learning more about North Carolina. I think my impression of North Carolina has improved from neutral to admiration. Maybe I can include Charlotte to my list of cities I want to visit in America.